HILLSVILLE — One evening of the 2012 Carroll County Fair will go to the mat with NWA wrestling bouts.
The fair will take place at the Southwest Virginia Farmers Market Aug. 22-26, with the wrestling as a feature event for Sunday starting at 3 p.m.
Colorfully named characters like “Boogie Woogie Man” Jimmy Valiant, Dr. Death, “Man Scout” Jake Maning, Major Havoc, Stan Lee and others will appear.
The event is free with a paid fair admission, according to promotional materials.
If you’d rather see a contest of wits, then there’s a Liar’s Contest, on Thursday at 6 p.m.

Christopher Brooke

Those entering produce and crafts in the Carroll County Fair exhibits include Billie Taylor (top right) with the 30-pound cushaw that grew on her brush pile and Mary Horton (lower left) with her handmade “chemo hat." Family members Charlotte Pollard (lower right) and Lola Bryant (top left), both of Baywood, submitted quilts for judging. A fair volunteer (bottom, center) arranges entries Monday.

“Enter the Liar’s Contest and take a chance to amaze and astonish your friends with true and almost true stories!” the promotion says.
Participants can tell stories for up to 10 minutes. The audience will choose the winner by secret ballots. The grand prize includes $25 in cash and a “Golden Shovel Award.”
Other new promotions offered at this year’s fair includes:
• unlimited rides at the Brinkley Entertainment carnival with a paid gate admission.
• a Saturday cruise-in for as many as 50 classic cars.
• a poultry show on Thursday evening. Ribbons will go to each pen champion and reserve champion male and female in multiple classes.
These new activities join many popular returning events at the agricultural fair: the corn maze, the beauty pageant, horse pulls, lawn mower race, pet show, recipe contests, storytelling, forestry, a barnyard, agriculture education days, Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers Ag Day and more.
“The goals of our fair are to be both fun and educational for people of all ages,” organizers say.
“Our hope is that the fair gives some individuals a chance to reminisce about the way things used to be and at the same time show how agriculture and the area has progressed.”
“We want folks to come away from the event with a better understanding of the area's agriculture diversity and agriculture’s importance to the area's economy,” organizers add.
Entry fees range from $5 for attendees from 13 years and older, $3 for those 6 to 12 years old and under 5 free.
Organizers stress that the fee will include unlimited access to all fair events and carnival rides.